Listening for the voice of God

 

Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.  The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.  [Mark 1:21-28]

This passage in Mark’s Gospel talks about recognition, or more accurately lack of recognition.  When Jesus came to Capernaum and preached, the people didn’t know what to think.  They were amazed at His knowledge and His apparent authority, but they didn’t know where the authority came from.  They were intrigued by His words, but they didn’t recognize who He is.

The people were perplexed, but the demons recognized Him right away and understood that He was a danger to them.  They knew who He is and that He can command them and destroy them.  The unclean spirit (the “Dark Spirit”) said right away that Jesus is “the Holy One of God who has come to destroy us.”

But even then, the people didn’t recognize Jesus for who He is.  The word spread of this unusual event, but the people still didn’t know what to make of it.  They were expecting the messiah to be a man of might – a king maybe or a military man.  Someone who had great power and prestige.  And this man was from Nazareth, just down the road.  He was the son of a carpenter.  He was just like anyone else.  He didn’t look like anything very special.

But He was.  He was the holy one of God.  He could command even the unclean spirits and they were in fear of His power.  They knew the danger He was bringing them, but those who were seeking salvation didn’t recognize it when it came.

And would we?  Do we recognize God as He walks among us every day?  Do we recognize His voice bringing us wisdom or comfort?  The bad guys know Him and fear Him, but shouldn’t we who seek Him know Him as well, and follow Him?

Before I realize the Dark Spirit has even arrived, it’s telling me lies. “You’re not good enough. You’re not deserving of love.  Who do you even think you are?”  The sneaky work of the Dark Spirit is that these lies can be heard as truths, although we know they’re not.  My relationship with a loving God tells me the truth – I am enough, I am loved, I’m created in the image of God to be in relationship with the one who loves me.

But this happens to all of us, the Dark Spirit arrives, and we don’t have Jesus standing next to us to rebuke it and demand it leaves.  And here’s the hard part, the part that’s so much easier to say than to do.  When the Dark Spirit arrives, I can listen for the truth, for the voice of the Holy Spirit that I know lives within me, that reminds me over and over again: “You are seen and loved, for you are made in the image and likeness of God, who is Love.”  This truth is our life breath. It is our source of purpose and hope.

One thing that can make the doing of this ever more possible is the gift and tool of discernment that we can learn through constant prayer, the guidance of a spiritual director, and reflection.  Discernment of listening for the voice of God, the voice of Love and Truth, and noticing when what we’re hearing is not of God, rather, the lying voice of the Dark Spirit.  Deciphering between the two can be difficult, especially with the Dark Spirit being so sneaky.  However, putting into practice the tool of discernment, we may find it easier to notice when the voice is that of the Dark Spirit and then to rebuke it as we listen more closely for the voice of God.

As we stand in the holy places of our lives, may we be ever more attuned to the voice of Love and Truth as we rebuke the lies of the Dark Spirit with the strength and courage given to us through grace.